Sam Williams shared a heartbreaking statement to remember his late mother, a woman he described as “a beautiful soul who forever affected everyone who knew her.”
Sam, son of country legend Hank Williams Jr. and former Hawaiian Tropic model Mary Jane Thomas, shared the statement with PEOPLE on Wednesday evening (March 23). Thomas — whose age has been reported as 58 or 61 — appeared to have suffered complications from a medical procedure, and died on Tuesday (March 22) in Jupiter, Florida. TMZ reported that it was possibly a blood clot. The family requested privacy at this time.
In his statement, Sam proclaims that he’ll “always be the son of Mary Jane.” Read his sweet memory of his late mother here:
“My dear Mama Mary Jane was a beautiful soul who forever affected everyone who knew her. She had a smile and presence that lit up every room and she never met a stranger she didn't befriend. Her spirit was gentle and giving. She could take down a ten-point buck and fix dinner for her grandchildren at the same time! Now she gets to radiate from above with my sister Katherine Diana right by her side.
“She grew up competing in baton and cheerleading and was one of Hawaiian Tropic's top models. My father fell in love with the Daytona Beach beauty the minute he set eyes on her in the early '80s. They went on to live the most powerful love story of travel and hunting and raising a family. She is survived by my father, her two parents Ramona and Bill, her brother Andy, her sister Angela, myself and her three grandchildren: Beau Weston, Tennyson Hiram and Audrey Jane. Rest in peace Mama, I will always be the son of Mary Jane.”